Physical
things I want to upgrade or replace:

telephone

computer
monitor for flat screen

Physical things I want to
give away:

new gifts that I don't want

perfect
and new things that I no longer use

Bon Journal

Modified new year's resolutions

I'm on a
life coach's mailing list. He calls himself the Time
Freedom Coach. Here's what he wrote (in bold) and my answers.

1. Resolve
not to make any of the same resolutions this year that you made last year. If
you didn't keep them last year then you won't keep them this year. Find something
new and better!

Not sure if I made any new year resolutions for 2002. If
I did, surely one of them must have been to free myself of clutter and get more
time for myself. Unfortunately, my clutter control is still as bad as my struggle
against the passing of time. How could anyone in this state of chaos develop shopaholicism
or find the time to work? Indeed, I've developed an allergic reaction to shopping.
To me, all that glitters is not gold, but utter clutter. As for time, I still
don't have enough of it.

2. Resolve to keep a date with yourself once a
week in which you go out on your own and do something you really want to do. Make
this a top priority.

I do this everyday so I don't think I need to resolve
to do it just once a week!

3. Resolve to look through all the activities
you are involved in and ask yourself "Why am I doing this?" Set yourself
a target of weeding out at least a quarter of them.

Why am I still on dial-up
internet when ADSL (broadband) is now being offered in my neighbourhood? Why do
I continue to update this Bon Journal religiously? Why do I bother answering e-mails
from people who can't download my music scores in PDF because the fonts don't
work? Why do I continue to answer questions from doctoral students about their
research when I never had the luxury of the Internet in my day?

4. Resolve
to do at least one thing this year that you have always wanted to do but have
never had the time/money/opportunity/whatever. Take the first step to get it under
way this week.

I've always wanted to write a book. Now I've signed a book
contract with firm deadlines. Guess I'd better get started.

5. Resolve
that you are never going to worry again about at least one subject. It's up to
you what it is. A few suggestions: your weight, your looks, your education, your
children, your income, your health, you name it. If you don't like the way it
is, either do something about it or don't do something about it... the choice
is yours... but stop worrying about it!

Yes. Stop minding someone else's
business. How other people bring up their children when I have neither the experience
or children of my own to speak of. I must resolve not to worry for other people.
Sure, I wish they would pick up a musical instrument and a foreign language at
an early age and never pick up a cigarette during their lifetime. But they are
after all other people's children and other people's problems --- not an opportunity
for me to preach.

6. Resolve to choose one major goal for this year. Pretend
that the world is going to end at midnight on 31 December 2003 (perhaps it will!)
What is the one thing you would like to have achieved by then?

Be with
the one I love. Health and relationships are the most important things to me.
And I want to continue to be healthy and happy.

7. Resolve to identify
one person whom you need to mend your fences with. Then take the initiative to
do so.

Not sure I'm ready for this. It takes a certain amount of maturity,
humility, and generosity to be able to forgive and forget. Deep down, I'm still
a teenager.

1 January 2003 Wednesday

Note:
Background images in December 2002 and January 2003 journal entries are selected
from Frances Ku's collection of her original
watercolours.